29th Mar

The longworth produced a wood mouse. A night search of the garden for hedgehogs was great as I found two foxes mating in the hedge.

28th Mar

A morning visit to Fowlmere, with spring now well on the way with a cracking dawn chorus, dominated by chiff chaffs. Two good sized herds of fallow deer, muntjac were much scarcer than usual and the first fawn seen with a mother is probably the reason, but one did pose for photos. After work during the journey home a weasel crossed the road, which was very nice and in the garden the hedgehog seen on the camera trap the last few nights finally visited at a sensible hour. The cat behaving very strangely prompted a longworth to be set overnight.

26th Mar

I spent a few hours at Weeting, looking for the stoats, they did not really perform with only one brief view, the wood larks were also not being co-operative nor was a grass snake which slithered under a hedge. The stars were the four stone curlews, which after all the other visitors left did some amazing displays (captured on film). As I was leaving I found a dozen brown hares, 5 herds of roe deer and a melanistic pheasant.

4th Mar

With conditions even worse than the previous day I went straight to Loch of Strathbeg visitor centre for a couple of hours to keep dry. A party of 5 roe deer and a hen harrier the pick. I headed to Peterhead for fuel and a look round the harbour for gulls, I quickly found two Iceland gulls but the sleet and snow made it difficult spotting, but three grey seals were scrounging from the trawlers. As I headed south the weather broke and I stopped once more at Collieston, where sea conditions were very good. I quickly located a couple of harbour porpoises and a grey seal, then more porpoises, and then more must have been 15+ they were everywhere, then my target appeared with a resounding blow, one of the long staying humpbacked whales showed nicely, possibly a second briefly as well but could not be certain. My penultimate stop was south Aberdeen where I easily found half a dozen or so bottlenosed dolphins showing quite nicely but not as close as at Channonry point. The last stop was as regular readers know was for chips, but the adventure was not finished yet. A stop at the services in southern Scotland and the clutch was not working but I managed to get in gear and headed for home. Despite the distance, there are only 7 junctions where I would have possibly to stop and I managed to negotiate 6 without changing gear, however I could not refuel so had to coax the car home on fumes, and I did making just the one gear change somehow fought it into fourth near home to negotiate the village and parked it outside, and the clutch was dead and I had to push into the garden. Never a dull moment with my Scottish trips, but well worth the agro.

3rd Mar

I headed to Aberdeenshire, driving over Glenshee easily locating several mountain hares and some cracking Red Deer stags on the way. A bank vole and tawny owl the other highlights. I was at Collieston a small village on the coast north of Aberdeen for dawn, but the sea state was shocking and there was no possibility of cetaceans so I headed to Loch of Strathbeg visitor centre. After a cup of tea the Ermine showed but not close and in shocking conditions, rain and poor visibility. A rabbit and roe deer were more accommodating. A couple of local birders arrived and located a couple of smew and then a greater yellowlegs as it flew over the reserve and over the visitor centre, very nice. Despite a good search none of the gathering crowd could relocate the bird. I stayed put as the weather was poor, but the plentiful geese, swans and Iceland gull did not seem to mind. The Ermine returned a few times but in very poor conditions, but the tree sparrows and sparrowhawk kept me entertained. Just as I gave up for the evening a short eared owl put in an appearance. As I left I clipped a post in the car park breaking a rear light, my car always seems to have issues in Scotland (little did I know what was coming), a haggis supper and some sleep finished the day.

26th Feb

With the car now fixed I went absolutly nowhere stayed at home and did some gardening enjoying the spring like weather. Only yellowhammers of note bird wise but did have a bit of an Amphibian Fest, with three Great crested Newts but the best was a cracking Common Frog of the red form and plently of common newts.

22nd Feb

The car still not finished so Fowlmere again, and another good morning apart from the JCB on site. The JCB was probably the reason I could not find the fallow deer herd only 4 seen. A fox was on the track and allowed a photo in what was almost near darkness. The JCB must have scared off the muntjac only one seen briefly on the walk and another from the reedbed hide which showed very well and was very photogenic. A brief view of a mink in one of the channels finished off the visit which had absolutely no birds of note.

19th Feb

I joined James Hunter for the rather dull drive to South Wales, although a few red kites and fallow deer did brighten it up slightly. We arrived at Rhiwderin and joined the crowd and bathed in sunshine we soon had excellent views of the Common Yellowthroat feeding in the hedgrow just above the ground. We stayed a few hours enjoying an excellent bird and socialising a bit before heading the short distance to Cosmeston lakes. Here we quickly found the cracking drake lesser scaup and managed to get a few photos. A few mins down the road at an area of foreshore which was clearly not on the tourist trail and a place not to visit alone! We joined a group of birders searching for the bonapartes gull, but despite an extensive search it was not about. A large number of pintails, a few goosander and a couple of med gulls the best we could locate. By late afternoon we gave up and headed for home, stopping at Bray gravel pits just off the M4. Here after a brief search in fading light we located the drake Fudge duck before battling with the M25.

18th Feb

A few hours in the Lea valley was quite productive, with some nice bank voles and a common shrew coming to food. A muntjac was also present and a few common birds, but it was the interaction of two bittern's on 70 acre lake that made the day. The larger of the two made several aggressive moves to the smaller one and it was great to watch. I popped over to Connaught water to see the mandarin's largely spoilt by the general public.

15th Feb

The car almost repaired so I test drove it to Fowlmere and pleased I did. The usual Fallow deer (x18) and muntjac (x6) were present but were avoiding the camera. Birdwise was not too bad with a little egret, sparrowhawk and bullfinches. But it was the mammals that stole the show, first a very photogenic fox testing the thin ice on the mere in search of a duck breakfast. And as I almost reached the car a stoat crossed the track but too quick for the camera, so with rabbit and hare also present not a bad little visit.

10th Feb

Two Grey partridges feeding in the garden - magic, and they stayed all weekend.

8th Feb

Still transport limited so Fowlmere it was once more and the crunchy snow made it very difficult to move around slowly. So I was flushing deer all over the place. But I spotted a muntjac sat in the undergrowth a distance away and managed to slowly close in on it and it let me take plenty of photos before leaving it in peace. Little else about but that Muntjac made up for it.

3rd Feb

Another Fowlmere excursion (I have been limited with transport recently) but the joggers had beaten me to it so not much about bar the odd deer, very frustrating.

1st Feb

A house mouse was caught in the garage and will live with the one caught a few days ago until the weather warms a little. And the journey to work had a couple of brown hares and a cracking ringtail hen harrier.

31st Jan

I found myself near Lackford late afternoon and poped into Lackford lakes for an hour or so, but nothing was doing. The large gull roost did not yield anything of interest. Muntjac were quite abundant and I saw several including a very dark individual. A confiding rabbit allowed for a photoshoot before I left.

30th Jan

Two roe deer on the way to work was a nice treat, pity I didn't have the camera.

29th Jan

A trip to Fowlmere was not very productive, a few muntjac, fallow deer but birdwise very poor, a confiding wren the highlight. A few redwings and fieldfares in the garden indicated that things are getting colder.

15th Jan

After another very early start to take the wife to the airport, I headed to Woodwalton Fen. Six hares on route and a grey squirrel as I arrived. But I missed being first on site as a few cars were already there and people on site, I headed for some of the out of the way places but only got a few record shots of the 18 Chinese water deer seen and nothing of the three muntjacs. After a few hours wandering round I did bump into a fox but little else and by lunchtime I headed for the Gordon Mere Hide which was empty, I dozed off for a while waking to the call of a kingfisher. A while later I was joined by some more birders and one quickly located a bittern almost at the same time as I located an otter which showed briefly. That was enough for me and I headed home.

14th Jan

The Spanish sparrow lured myself and James hunter on a raid on Hampshire. Arriving at Dawn it was not long before the male Spanish sparrow worked it way through the hedge before showing well. After having our fill we headed off the short distance into the New Forest at Hawkhill enclosure. The Dark eyed Junco was showing off and on but not as well as the previous week, and it was supported by plenty of Crossbills. As the hoards arrived we continued our mission at Blashford Lakes, which quickly gave up the fudge duck, but the bittern was more elusive and we bid farewell once more as the crowds gathered. A quick look at the three swan species just up the road and now with the west conquered we headed east to Gosport for the dead easy ring billed gull in a boating lake, which was not playing, but a Med gull was enjoying the free food supplied by both the public and birders. We chanced our arm and went to view the harbour to see if we could locate the Iceland gull frequenting the other side, but no sign although we did get a yellow legged gull and just as we were leaving an Iceland gull was located but a different individual to the one reported. A quick look back at the boating lake and the ring billed gull had returned. A quick dash to the edge of Havant (noting a fox on the way), where we just missed the cattle egret. A quick local search revealed the egret roost and we managed a quick view of the cattle egret before it went out of view. With Hampshire's birds plundered we headed for home top day. The cat had brought in a wood mouse on my arrival home adding to the mammal tally nicely.

8th Jan

I picked up Simon West and we headed to the New Forest for the day, the Dark eyed junco showed shortly after our arrival. It was a bit flighty but did settle from time to time showing quite well. But we were entertained by plenty of crossbills during the intervals. After our fill it was to Blashford Lakes where the Fudge Duck evaded us, and as John Dixon and Steve Davis informed us so did the Blue Winged teal at Longham lakes. But the scaup and a pair of smew eased the disappointment. A quick wander round Parley Common brought us a pair of dartford warbler, the male (colour ringed) singing like it was spring but there was little else so we headed back to the Forest. We met up with John and Steve once more for the Hawfinch roost in the heart of the Forest and had at least 3 showing well, they then took on us to a raptor roost where we had a few fallow deer and a male hen harrier just as the heavens opened and we headed for home.

7th Jan

I headed once again to Hawk and Owl Trust Sculthorpe Moor Community (More like care in the!) Nature Reserve, which delivered on both counts but more of that later. On the way I diverted via the Lakenheath area and picked up several hares and two roe deer. I picked up a willow tit at the entrance feeders but little else on the walk to the fen hide. It had a very different feel to my previous visits, and I assume that the frequent sparrowhawk visits had something to do with it or was it 5 inconsiderate and probably deaf old ladies who made so much noise it was almost unbearable and it certainly kept the birds away. When they did eventually leave the birds returned including a brief visit from a brambling and the Bank voles were very active during the whole day at least 3 individuals. I had the hide to myself for the last hour or so and this is when I had the best sightings. A couple of close passes from the Barn owl, then a couple of brief views of a weasel as it moved through the reeds. I was just leaving when I spotted more small mammal movement by cctv camera the harvest mouse was still present, I waited a few mins but it did not show again and I had to hot foot it back before I was locked in.

5th Jan

With shouts of the cats got something, I quickly separated a yellow necked mouse for the cat and transfered to a secure location with food and bedding before its release.

3rd Jan

An early morning jaunt round a rather quiet Fowlmere produced only a few common birds two muntjac's a rabbit and a small herd of Fallow Deer.

1st Jan

A lazy day which was perfect to let the house mice (which have been resident for the last few days ) go. The only other thing to do was go to Tesco, which was shut, perfect to watch the pied wagtail roost in peace or so I thought, there was a constant stream of idiots coming to do some shopping! The wagtails performed well although only about 170 turned up, lower that some other recent counts, perhaps the poor weather contributed to some roosting before I arrived.

2011 Summary

Another good year with the herps, finally locating the reintroduced Pool Frogs in a total of 19 herps species this year. I had another poor butterfly year with only 31 species, but an excellent year of dragonflies 28 species including 3 new ones, Vagrant and Lesser Emperors and Dainty Damselflies. The mammaling did mean the birding suffered with only 250 species and only 4 new ones, Greater Yellowlegs, Sandhill crane, Oriental turtle dove and finally Olive backed pipit.

2011 Mammals

The real highlight of the year was of course the mammals seen both in quality and quantity. Firstly the new species Alcathoe's, Grey Long eared and Greater Mouse finally finished off the native bats and they were the main targets of the year, but I also lucked in on those Fin whales. I also added Greater white toothed shrew in Ireland for the British Isles list. So to the numbers 60 species seen in the UK and 62 in the British isles 50 photographed in the UK, 51 in the British isles. It was a year of excellent encounters the fin whales in Wales for one and also the stoats I stumbled upon in Dartmoor, the Lake District Otters, wild boar in the Forest of Dean, both Dormice in consecutive nights were all excellent but I must mention the house mice invasion at my house which was pretty good as well.
And further afield I had some amazing trips abroad to the Belgium, the Netherlands in May and the Netherlands in September, Slovenia and Ireland but the highlight was Finland which had an excellent mix of mammals and birds.

There were some excellent species seen on these trips such as wolverine, brown bear, saami ringed seal, european hamster, white tailed deer, canadian beaver and an excellent selection of small mammals, some great herps such as olm and some great birds stellers eider, brunnich's guillemot, great grey owl, pygmy owl to name a few.